The NAKSA, 50 years later

These are the headlines we are tracking for you in this episode of On the News Line:

The NAKSA, 50 years later

It’s all related to an old wound that was split open in 1948 upon the creation of Israel on Palestinian lands. Israel, by forcing thousands of Palestinians out of their lands, proclaimed its existence. Back then, during what has come to be known as the first Arab-Israeli war, Israel defeated a coalition of Arab armies and by doing so practically secured its establishment. But it failed to capture the city of Jerusalem al-Quds. The war left over 350 Arab villages in ruins. And the center of Palestinian life shifted to what’s now called the West Bank. It was the beginning of the plight of huge numbers of displaced Palestinians.

EU-US rift

A new chapter has apparently begun in relations between the European Union, the United States and Britain, mostly thanks to America’s new administration. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has publicly questioned the US and the UK’s dependability as the two seem to be determined to go their own separate ways. In a speech after US President Donald Trump’s first visit to Europe, Merkel said Europeans must take their fate into their own hands. She stressed that the green continent can no longer rely on foreign partners namely the US and Britain.